New England Style Lobster Rolls

Well this was fun!  I tweaked the recipe for New England Lobster Rolls from A Family Feast site.

This came out so well - we can hardly believe it.  I had been inspired to do this for some time.  Pam loves, loves, loves these.  But it was not until I saw that you can buy frozen lobster meat at Meijer that I decided to give it a try.  I might do this again with lobster tails - but we will definitely do this again!  From the Family Feast site: "If you are using live lobsters that you will cook yourself, the yield is about 25%. So for four pounds of live lobsters, you will end up with one pound of cooked meat (give or take a few ounces depending on the size of the lobsters."

Ingredients (for two large Lobster Rolls)
8 oz Lobster meat, loosely chopped into bite sized chunks
3 tbsp Olive oil mayonnaise (adjust as desired)
1 tsp Lemon juice
¼ cup Celery, sliced thinly
1 tsp Parsley, dried
1/2 tsp Celery seeds
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
Rolls (you can use Italian or French bread or split-top hot dog rolls)

Directions
1. Place the cooked lobster meat in large bowl.
2. Add mayonnaise, lemon juice, celery, parsley, celery seeds, Kosher salt and black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
3. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for around an hour.
4. After the hour, divide the lobster salad on the rolls.  You can add lettuce on the lobster roll if you prefer.

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

I have had a long-standing desire to eat healthier and mix up more vegetarian meals into the mix.  One of the best options in this environment is quinoa, a great hi-protein grain that is part of a great vegetarian diet.  I have played with a few recipes including this one for what I called Summer Quinoa Salad a few years ago.  I wanted to play with it a bit to get rid of the tomatoes for the Mrs. and add in some other flavors.  I made this the first time and it came out great.  I loved adding in the roasted red peppers and kalamata olives. These are nice parts of the Mediterranean diet - so that is how this recipe got its name. Even the Mrs. loved it!  While it does have a good deal of protein per serving (sorry I did not figure that out), but as made, the salad has around 211 calories per cup.  That might seem lot a bit much. but quinoa adds protein and calories to the mix.  Serve it on a bed of spinach for a more filling lunch or side.

Ingredients (Serves 8-10):
1 cup Quinoa (white or tri-colored)
1/2 cup Pine nuts
1/3 cup Olive oil
4 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Kosher salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp Black pepper (adjust to taste)
1 Cucumber, peeled and finely diced (if using a seedless cuke - leave the peel on)
2 Roasted red peppers, diced
14-16 Kalamata olives, chopped
1 small or 1/2 medium Red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup Parsley (fresh), chopped

Directions
1. Rinse quinoa under running water to make sure it is clean.
2. Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for around 15-20 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Remove pot from heat and let cool in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a small saute pan over medium-low heat, toast the pine nuts (shaking the pan often so they do not burn) for around 3-5 minutes until lightly browned. Add pine nuts to the mixing bowl with the quinoa.
4. In a small bowl, add olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, kosher salt and black pepper. Mix thoroughly with a whisk.
5. In the large mixing bowl (with the quinoa and pine nuts), add diced cucumber, roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, red onion, and parsley. Add olive oil mix and thoroughly blend the salad.

Enjoy as a side or as an entree with a bed of spinach or greens.

Avocado Egg Salad

So I have been really working on losing weight and eating better.  One of my favorite comfort foods is egg salad - but it can be really bad when you get it in a restaurant.  I have my recipe that I shared a bunch of years ago, but I saw a recipe that looked intriguing.  I had seen a number of recipes for pulling an avocado into egg salad (including this one) as a way to reduce mayo and get some healthy fats in your diet.  So I took a few recipes and played with it a bit.  This is my first attempt and I really like it.  It makes around five 1/2 cup servings and they clock in at around 164 calories.  Avocado gives you alot of calories, but it gives you lots and lots of nutrients.  Ditto on the Chia seeds.  So it is a good trade-off.  Anyway, I love the way this came out and will be a great lunch and snack.

Ingredients (five 1/2 cup servings at 164 calories each)
1 medium avocado, pitted and peeled
5 Eggs, hard boiled, peeled and chopped
2 Celery stalks, finely chopped
1 tbsp Mayonnaise (olive oil or light)
1 tsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Diced onions (dried)
2 tsp Chia seeds
1 tsp Parsley (dried)
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Celery seed
1/4 tsp Black pepper

Directions

1. Mash avocado with a fork in a medium bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients (eggs through pepper) and mix thoroughly until blended.

Enjoy!  You may need to add a bit of mayonnaise if it gets dried out.

Fried Capers

Pam first noticed fried capers on salads at a favorite local restaurant we frequent.  So I poked around and found a number of different variations.  A nice one I found was from Food & Style. I thought I would play with them and make one for a salad we are having tonight.  These turn out amazing and they give you a really nice flavor for salads or other dishes.  They are also very easy to make!

Ingredients (serves 3-4 on salads)

1 tbsp Cornmeal
1/4 tsp Onion powder
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Black Pepper (adjust to taste)
1/4 cup Small capers
1 tbsp Olive oil

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix the cornmeal, onion powder, oregano and black pepper.
2. Drain the capers in a sieve.  Then add the capers to the cornmeal mixture and mix with a fork until the capers are coated.  Placed the capers back into the sieve and shake to remove the excess cornmeal mix.
3. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a pan and place it over medium-high heat.  When the oil is heated, add the capers and shake the pan until they are in one layer.  Lower to medium heat and saute for 3 minutes undisturbed.  Mix the capers and saute for another 2 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl (leaving any oil in the pan).
4. You can let the capers sit for up to a few hours.

Enjoy!

Corey's Caprese Salad with Balsamic Reduction

There are thousands of great Caprese Salad recipes....now (hopefully), there is one more.  I love these salads and it is a great addition to my recipes for entertaining.  I wanted one with a balsamic glaze - and think this is really nice mix.  It is very simple to pull together and really completes many meals.  Since Pam does not like tomatoes - I will have to use this for entertaining!

Ingredients (serves 6-8)
1 1/2 cups Balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Brown sugar
1 lbs Mozzarella cheese (fresh)
4 Tomatoes (vine ripe or Roma work well here)
1 large bunch of Basil, leaves removed from the stems
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
Pinch of Black pepper
2 tsp Olive oil

Directions
1. Add the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar into a sauce pan.  Bring to a boil, then lower and simmer for 22-25 minutes.  Removed the reduction from the heat and let cool.
2. Slice the tomatoes and Mozzarella cheese into even pieces.  Arrange the salad with alternative layers of tomatoes, cheese and basil.
3. Sprinkle kosher salt and black pepper atop the tomato mixture.
4. Drizzle the olive oil and the balsamic reduction atop the tomato mixture.

Serve and Enjoy!

Field Greens with Salmon and Citrus-Dijon Vinaigrette

Here is a long overdue recipe for a great dinner salad.  This was adapted from a recipe for Field Greens with Shrimp and Mustard-Balsamic Vinaigrette that was great.  We want to have a few different salads on our regular rotation, and love the idea of having more salmon.  This was very easy to make, but we would like to have salads a few nights a week - so having different  that we created   We want to make more salads for dinner and this will definitely be on a quick rotation.  Very easy (even with making your own dressing).  The best part is that it is pretty healthy, so great for those weight loss resolutions!

Ingredients (2 dinner portions)

Salad
1 lbs Salmon fillets, skinless
Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp Lemon grass (dried)
5-7 oz Field Greens (or any salad mixture) - enough for two salad plates.
1/2 cup Edamame, shelled
1 Cucumber, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 Red Onion (small), sliced (take the finely chopped red onion
Cooking spray

Dressing
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup Lemon juice
1 tsp Garlic, chopped
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Brown sugar
2 tbsp White wine vinegar
1 tbsp Red onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste

NOTE: you can add any vegetables as you see fit or desire.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Spray the bottom of a cooking sheet with cooking spray or olive oil.  Place the salmon on the sheet.  Sprinkle with Kosher salt, black pepper, and lemon grass.  Bake for 12-14 minutes.
2. Prepare dressing by adding olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, dijon mustard, brown sugar, white wine vinegar, finely chopped red onion, Kosher salt and black pepper into a mixing bowl.  Whisk until well blended.  Set aside.
2. Heat a skillet over low heat.  Add the pine nuts and toast for 7-10 minutes until lightly brown.  Set aside and remove from the heat.
3. Prepare the salads with field greens, edamame, cucumbers, and red onions.
4. Remove the salmon from the oven.  Slice and place over the salad. Spoon the dressing atop the salad.

Serve and enjoy!

Field Greens with Shrimp and Mustard-Balsamic Vinaigrette

We loved making this dinner salad.  I borrowed and adapted the dressing recipe from Eating Well (one of my favorite magazines).  The recipe was just for the Mustard-Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing and I played with it a bit.  We want to make more salads for dinner and this will definitely be on a quick rotation.  Very easy (even with making your own dressing).  The best part is that it is pretty healthy, so great for those weight loss resolutions!

Ingredients (2 dinner portions)

Dressing
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
10-12 Kalamata olives, pitted and finely chopped
1/2 tsp Brown sugar
1/2 tsp Basil, dried
Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste

Salad
1/4 cup Pine nuts
5-7 oz Field Greens (or any salad mixture) - enough for two salad plates.
1/2 cup Edamame, shelled
1/2 Cucumber, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 Red Onion (small), sliced
1 tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp Garlic, chopped (or cloves)
2/3 cup Shrimp, deveined
Kosher salt & black pepper, to taste

NOTE: you can add any vegetables as you see fit

Directions
1. Prepare dressing by adding  balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, olives, brown sugar, basil and kosher salt & black pepper (to taste) into a mixing bowl.  Whisk until well blended.  Set aside.
2. Heat a skillet over low heat.  Add the pine nuts and toast for 7-10 minutes until lightly brown.  Set aside and remove from the heat.
3. Prepare the salads with field greens, edamame, toasted pine nuts, cucumbers, and red onions.
4. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and chopped garlic to the skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the shrimp and cook until pink (4-5 minutes).
5. Add cooked shrimp to the dressing and mix thoroughly.  Spoon the shrimp with dressing atop the salad.

Serve and enjoy!

Italian Potato Pasta Salad

I saw this recipe at Epicurious for Minestrone Salad and knew that I wanted to play with this. I made a number of twists in the recipe and loved the way that it came out. The pesto sauce probably adds a good deal of calories, but this is not really all that bad for you since it needs to cover a whole lot of salad. What it will be amazing for are pot-luck dinners or luncheons. We absolutely loved this and I think it will be something that we make over and over again. It definitely keeps well. So by all accounts, this is a great potato and pasta salad.

Ingredients (Serves 8):

2 Chicken breast, skinless, cut in two think halves
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp Basil (dried)
1 tsp Oregano (dried)
Olive oil spray
24 oz Fingerling (or baby red) potatoes
1 lbs Green beans, cut in half
13.25 to 1 pound Pasta (penne or rotini or gemelli)
1 cup Pesto (prepared)
1 15 1/2 oz. Cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
Two large Roasted red peppers (around 4-6 oz), sliced into strips
2 tbsp Capers, drained
12-15 Kalamata olives, cut in half
Additional kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Mix kosher salt, black pepper, dried basil and dried oregano in a small bowl. Lightly spray the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle the spice mix on top of the chicken. Cook on Grill or grill pan over medium heat for 6 minutes each side until done. Remove from heat and cover with foil.
2. Place fingerling potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Let the potatoes cool and then cut into quarters.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add green beans (they should be cut to the same size as the pasta that you are using). Cook the beans for around 2 minutes (until they are bright green). Scoop the vegetables out of the hot water with a strainer and rinse them with cold water. Then set aside.
4. Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta and put it in a large mixing bowl.
5. Slice the chicken into thin strips.
6. Into the large mixing bowl, toss in the cooked potatoes, green beans, pesto sauce, Chicken, Cannellini beans, roasted red peppers, capers, kalamata olives. Stir until the pesto sauce is spread over the full salad.

You can serve it cold or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Quinoa and Lentil Salad

Here is another quinoa dish that I made for a vegan potluck. This recipe is from 5 Easy Steps to Healthy Cooking: 500 Recipes for Lifelong Wellness (links to Worldcat - get it at a library). The recipe is on page 148. It is a great source of protein with both Quinoa and Lentils! A nice lemon taste as well! Quinoa is a wonder food that I want to use more of this year!

Ingredients

2 cups Quinoa (to be cooked with 4 cups of water)
1 cup Lentils (to be cooked with 2 cups of water)
1/2 tsp Taragon
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
3 tbsp Lemon juice
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup Parsley, chopped

Directions
1. Prepare the lentils. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add lentils and lower heat to a simmer. Cook lentils for 30 minutes and let cool.
2. Prepare the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly. Add to pan with two cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower to a simmer. Cook for 15-18 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Remove from pan and let cool in a bowl.
3. Prepare dressing by whisking taragon, kosher salt, black pepper, lemon juice, olive oil and dijon mustard.
4. Once the lentils and quinoa are cool, mix together and add the parsley. Then add the taragon mix.
5. Refrigerate for an hour or more before serving.

Enjoy!

Warm Chicken Salad Piccata

This was adapted from a recipe from Every Day with Rachael Ray and my Warm Tuna Niçoise salad.

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs Baby red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
3/4 lbs green beans, cut to 2-3" long
1/4 cup Olive oil
2 tbsp Capers, rinsed
1/2 cup Parsley, chopped
1 tbsp Grated lemon peel
2 tbsp Lemon juice
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 or 1/2 tsp Black Pepper (to taste)
2-3 tbsp Canola Oil
2 Skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/3" slices
1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions
1. Place cleaned and cut potatoes in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam until tender (around 10 to 15 minutes).
2. Transfer potatoes to a serving bowl and then add the green beans to the steamer and cook for around 6 minutes.
3. In a large serving bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp capers, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, lemon peel and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Add the potatoes and beans and toss. Add salt and pepper (if desired).
4. While the potatoes and beans are steaming, beat two eggs in a shallow bowl. In another bowl, season the flour with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp canola oil over medium-high heat. Coat the chicken breasts with the seasoned flour, then dip in the egg, allowing any excess to drip off, and coat with the flour again, shaking off the excess. Add to the skillet and cook, turning once, until golden, about 7-8 minutes (around 4 minutes a side). Transfer to a cutting board and cut into strips.
5. When all the chicken is cooked, add the chicken broth to the skillet along with 1 tsp of the flour mixture used to coat the chicken. Whisk the broth over medium high heat for around 3 minutes until blended (along with the browned bits in the pan). Then remove from heat and stir in the remaining 1 tbsp capers, 1/4 cup parsley and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Top the salad with the chicken and drizzle with the pan sauce.

Enjoy!

Warm Tuna Niçoise

This was adapted from a recipe on the excellent EatingWell site. The recipe first was in Eating Well Magazine in September/October 1991. This is a definite keeper as we both loved it!

Ingredients
5 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar, divided
3-4 tbsp olive oil, divided
Kosher salt & ground pepper to taste
8 oz green beans, cut to 2-3" long
8 oz tuna steak, cut into 1/4” thick slices
2 tsp chopped garlic (around 2 cloves)
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup roasted red pepper, cut into thin strips (adjust to taste)
2 tbsp capers, rinsed
12 Kalamata Olives (pitted) and cut in half lengthwise
1/2 tsp Lemon juice (adjust to taste)

Directions
1. Place cleaned and cut potatoes in a steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam until tender (around 10 to 15 minutes).
2. Transfer potatoes to a serving bowl and then add the green beans to the steamer and cook for around 6 minutes.
3. In the serving bowl, add 1 tbsp red-wine vinegar and 1 tbsp olive oil to the potatoes and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
4. When beans are done, add them to the serving bowl (with the potatoes) and gently toss again (adding salt and pepper if wanted).
5. In a saute pan, heat around 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced tuna and cook until browned on each side (around 2-3 minutes per side). Place tuna in bowl with potatoes and green beans.
6. Add remaining 1 1/2 tbsp oil to the pan. Add garlic and anchovies and saute, stirring for less than a minute until garlic starts to brown.
7. Add remaining 3 tbsp red-wine vinegar and broth to the pan, and bringing it to a boil. Stir continually for 1-2 minutes and then remove from heat. Add mustard into the sauce and mix thoroughly.
8. Pour sauce over the potatoes and green beans, gently tossing. Then add red peppers, capers, olives and lemon juice and toss gently.

Enjoy!

Tuna Pasta Salad

Wonderful pasta salad that is actually great all year long, and very easy to make.

Ingredients
1 14oz box of Pasta shells or other shape
2 5oz cans of chunk tuna in water
4 stalks of celery, trimmed, cleaned and cut into thin slices (1/8" - 1/4")
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Celery Salt
1/4 tsp Celery Seeds
1/2-3/4 Cup of Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

Directions:
1. Cook pasta per the directions on the box and let cool with cold running water. Add the pasta to a mixing bowl.
2. Add the tuna, celery, lemon juice, black pepper, celery salt and celery seeds and mix.
3. Add the Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip (adjust amount to taste) and mix thoroughly. Enjoy!

Christmas Orzo Pesto Salad

Great easy pasta salad - I love having it for pot-lucks and picnics.  It travels very well.

Ingredients:

2 oz Pine Nuts
1 lb Orzo
1/2 green pepper - diced finely
1 6-7oz jar prepared Pesto (like Delallo)
3-4 roasted red pepper sections
1 tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Lightly toast pine nuts in a dry pan. Stir often so they do not burn (10-12 minutes over low heat). Set aside and let cool.
2. Cook orzo as directed for "al dente." When fully cooked, drain and rinse with cool water.
3. Dice green peppers (very small) and cut roasted red peppers into thin strips, about 1/4" wide and 1" long. Does not have to be precise.
4. In a large bowl, combine green and red peppers, pesto and toasted pine nuts. Add olive oil to keep moist.
5. Chill for at least 30 minutes and serve.

This is a photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cseeman/4675308306/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/cseeman/4675308306/</a>

Cherry Almond Chicken Salad

OK...everyone has a Chicken Salad recipe, but this is really great. I will not call it the best chicken salad or the pen-ultimate chicken salad, but it is pretty darn close.

Ingredients:
2 cups Chicken, cooked and diced (great use of chicken from this recipe)
2 stalks Celery, diced
1/2 cup Dried cherries
1/3 cup Almond thin slices (raw are best, but use what you have)
1/2 cup Mayo or Miracle Whip (use to taste)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Directions
1. Throw everything in a bowl and mix like mad! (NOTE: If you are using the chicken from the chicken soup, then it will break apart as you stir. This is quite alright. If you are using grilled chicken, then it will hold its shape. Either way, it is fantastic.)

Seriously, that is it.  Enjoy!

Egg Salad

NOTE: OK...this is kinda silly, such a simple recipe. But this is an updated version of what my grandmother (Meta Beer) made. I loved her egg salad, but I hate what I get elsewhere because it is so-mayo-nasiey (is that even a word). Not much, but it is very good.


Mix these ingredients fully
• 5 Hard Boiled Eggs (diced small – twice in a standard egg slicer)
• 1 cup Celery (diced small)
• ¼ + pinch (to taste) teaspoon Paprika
• ¼ teaspoon Ground mustard powder
• 1/3 cup light mayonnaise or Miracle Whip